— LIL L 


ADDRESS 


^  ■GOVERNOR   PERHAM 


LEGISLATURE 


STATE    OF    MAINE 


JAJTUARY    1871. 


AUGUSTA: 

SPRAQUE,  OWEN  t  NASH.  PRINTERS  TO  THE  STATE. 

1811. 


UCSB  LIBRARY 
ADDRESS 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM 


LEaiSLATURE 


STATE    OF    MAINE 


JANUAET,  1871. 


AUGUSTA: 

SPRAGUB,  OWEN  A  NASH,  PMNTEES  TO  THE  STATE. 

1871. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/addressofgovernoOOperliiala 


ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives : 

In  obedience  to  constitutional  requirement  and  the  people's 
suramonSj  we  have  met  to  consider  the  condition  and  interests  of 
the  State,  and  to  consecrate  our  best  efforts  to  her  service.  It  is 
fitting,  that  on  the  threshold  of  our  duties,  we  acknowledge  with 
devout  and  reverent  hearts  the  merciful  Providence  that  has  vouch- 
safed to  us,  as  a  people,  so  many  blessings,  and  humbly  implore 
the  guidance  of  Him  whose  wisdom  is  alone  suflBcient  to  direct, 
and  without  whose  blessing  our  labors  cannot  be  crowned  with 
success. 

CONDITION    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

We  have  cause  for  congratulation  in  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  country. 

We  are  at  peace  with  all  nations.  The  waste  and  devastation 
of  the  war  are  being  rapidly  repaired.  The  memories  of  those  who 
fell  in  defence  of  the  country  are  treasured  in  the  grateful  hearts 
of  the  loyal  people.  Their  sacred  dust  is  being  watched  over  and 
protected  by  the  assiduous  care  of  the  nation's  deepest  devotion. 
Their  dependents,  and  those  who  were  maimed  or  otherwise 
disabled,  are  receiving  the  pledges  of  the  people's  inexpressible 
gratitude. 

The  determination  of  our  people  to  allow  no  repudiation,  but  to 
pay  honestly  every  dollar  of  our  honest  debts,  has  been  fully 
affirmed,  resulting  in  the  establishment  of  more  confidence  in  our 
national  securities,  and  the  way  for  the  exchange  of  outstanding 
bonds  for  others  bearing  a  lower  rate  of  interest.  The  average 
price  of  gold,  as  compared  with  currency  for  the  year  just  closed, 
has  been  twenty  per  cent,  lower  than  the  previous  year,  and  the 
tendency  is  still  downward.  This  indicates  that,  without  any 
financial  embarrassment,  we  may  soon  touch  solid  bottom,  finan- 
cially, and  be  free  from  the  evils  of  a  depreciated  and  fluctuating 


4  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

currency.  More  honesty  and  efficiency  in  the  collection  of  the 
revenues,  and  greater  economy  in  the  administration  of  national 
affairs,  have  enabled  Congress  within  the  last  year  to  reduce  the 
taxes  collected  from  the  people,  eighty  millions  of  dollars  annually. 
We  are  assured  that  a  further  reduction  will  be  made,  and  that 
soon  the  tax  on  spirits  and  tobacco,  with  the  tariff  on  imported 
luxuries,  and,  on  such  other  articles  as  may  be  necessary  to  pro- 
tect our  own  industries,  will  be  sufficient  to  meet  all  our  national 
obligations.  Since  March  1st,  1869,  the  public  debt  has  been  re- 
duced at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  millions  annually,  diminishing  our 
annual  interest  account,  in  twenty-two  months,  nearly  twelve 
millions. 

FINANCIAL.       ' 

The  report  of  the  State  Treasurer  will  present  a  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  condition  of  our  finances. 

Our  receipts  during  the  past  year  have  been  $4,924,164.12  ;  our 
expenditures,  $5,041,846.64.  Our  public  debt  is  $8,061,900.00. 
Of  this  debt  $840,000  becomes  due  the  present  year,  $567,000  of 
which  is  payable  in  gold  or  its  equivalent.  To  pay  this  we  have 
the  sinking  fund  of  1865,  amounting  to  $1,178,677.61.  This  will 
pay  the  debt  becoming  due,  and  leave  a  balance  of  the  sinking 
fund  in  the  treasury  of  about  $281,677.61.  The  sinking  fund  of 
1868  amounts  to  $92,048.55.  The  trust  funds  held  by  the  State, 
including  the  sinking  funds,  amount  to  $2,017^043.08;  exclusive 
•of  sinking  fund,  $746,316.92. 

The  people  of  the  State  expect  and  will  require  at  our  hands  the 
most  rigid  economy  in  all  our  expenditures.  Our  taxes  are  neces- 
sarily heavy,  but  should  be  made  as  light  as  possible.  No  heavy 
burden  should  be  added.  I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  truth  of  the 
proverb  that  "There  is,  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth ;  and 
there  is,  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to 
poverty."  Governments,  like  individuals,  may,  in  the  exercise  of 
a  wise  forecast,  make  liberal  advances,  and  thereby  reap  large 
gains,  while  withholding  would  tend  to  poverty.  This  is  especially 
true  in  regard  to  such  judicious  expenditures  as  tend  to  educate 
and  elevate  the  people,  and  increase  the  facilities  for  industrial  and 
commercial  prosperity.  What  I  desire  especially  to  urge  is,  that 
we  should  carefully  scrutinize  every  channel  through  which  the 
people's  money  goes,  reform  excesses  or  abuses  in  our  expenses, 
stop  all  leaks  in  the  treasury,  if  any  such  there  are,  see  that  every 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  5 

appropriation  is  wisely  applied  and  secures  the  benefits  intended, 
and  that  no  useless  expenditures  are  made.  With  your  efforts  in 
this  direction,  I  pledge  my  earnest  cooperation. 

The  reports  of  the  State  oflBcers,  including  those  of  the  oflBcers 
of  public  institutions  and  of  the  Commissioners  of  various  State 
interests,  will  be  laid  before  you  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment. 
I  have  only  been  able  to  examine  a  part  of  them.  You  are  referred 
to  these  reports  for  statements  of  the  condition  and  wants  of  the 
several  oflSces  and  institutions  included  therein. 

The  law  allows  insurance  companies  the  month  of  January  within 
which  to  make  their  reports  to  the  Insurance  Commissioner.  The 
report  of  that  officer,  therefore,  cannot  be  made  until  late  in  the 
session. 

The  term  of  one  of  our  United  States  senators  will  expire  on  the 
third  day  of  March  next.  It  will  become  your  duty  to  elect  his 
successor.' 

It  will  also  become  your  duty  to  make  an  apportionment  of  the 
State  for  Senators,  and  Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
and  perhaps  for  Representatives  to  Congress. 

MILITARY. 

The  organization  of  the  ten  companies  of  infantry  authorized  by 
law  has  been  completed.  These  organizations  will  tend  to  keep 
alive,  to  some  extent,  the  military  spirit  of  the  people,  and,  being 
largely  made  up  of  men  who  have  seen  active  service  in  the  field, 
they  are  believed  to  be  sufficient  to  meet  any  ordinary  emergency. 
These  companies  can  readily  be  expanded  into  as  many  regiments 
in  case  of  necessity. 

The  report  of  the  Adjutant  General  will  contain  a  statement  of 
the  expenditures  for  military  purposes  during  the  last  year,  and 
the  military  property  in  the  possession  of  the  State.  * 

I  call  your  attention  especially  to  his  suggestions  in  regard  to 
the  preservation  of  the  flags  that  were  carried  by  the  Maine  troops 
in  the  war,  which  are  now  exposed  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitpl. 

These  flags  should  be  carefully  preserved  as  mementoes  of  the 
nation's  great  conflict,  and  as  constant  reminders  of  the  terrible 
struggle  which  perpetuated  our  National  Union. 

STATE    PEXSIOXS. 

The  Adjutant  General's  report  will  show  the  transactions  of  that 
office  in  regard  to  State  Pensions. 


6  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

You  will  only  give  practical  expression  to  the  wishes  of  your 
constituents  by  continuing  such  aid  to  our  disabled  soldiers  and 
the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  ser- 
vice, as  will,  with  the  national  pensions,  and  what  they  can  do 
themselves,  prevent  their  becoming  paupers,  or  otherwise  subjects 
of-charity.  The  disbursements  for  this  purpose  have  fallen  off  from 
$106,000,  in  1867,  to  about  one-fourth  of  that  sum  in  1870. 

The  Adjutant  General  is  of  the  opinion  that^  the  appropriation 
for  this  purpose  may  be  reduced  from  $40,000  to  $35,000. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

If  there  is  one  thing  above  another  that  commends  our  institu- 
tions to  the  approval  of  the  civilized  world,  it  is  our  common 
school  system,  by  which  the  means  of  education  are  brought  within 
the  reach  of  all  the  people.  Its  creation  was  the  crowning  act  of 
the  wise  men  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Republic.  It  is  our 
surest  guarantee  of  national  prosperity  and  progress,  and  a  pledge 
of  the  increasing  grandeur  of  our  republican  form  of  government. 

We  are  paying  about  three-fourths  of  a  million  dollars  annually 
to  support  our  common  schools,  which  is  about  eight  dollars  per 
scholar,  counting  the  average  attendance.  This  sum  is  generously 
and  willingly  paid  by  the  tax-payers  of  the  State,  who  only  de- 
mand, as  they  have  a  right  to  expect,  that  this  large  sum  be 
honestly  and  wisely  appropriated. 

Our  Normal  Schools,  Teachers'  Institutes,  efficient  supervision, 
and  other  improved  instrumentalities,  cannot  fail  to  produce  good 
results. 

We  are  already  beginning  to  realize  the  benefits  of  our  Normal 
Schools  in  the  general  efficiency  of  the  teachers  who  have  enjoyed 
^e  advantages  of  these  institutions.  Not  that  the  graduates  of 
the  Nbrmal  Schools  are  always  the  best  teachers,  for  no  system  of 
education  or  training  can  make  a  good  teacher  of  unfit  material. 
I  only  assert,  what  all  experience  proves,  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  teacher  who  has  had  special  training  for  J;hc  duties  of 
his  profession,  will  be  more  likely  to  succeed  than  one  who  has  had 
no  such  advantages. 

Some  of  the  measures  recently  adopted  to  promote  the  efficiency 
of  our  public  schools  may  be  regarded  as  experiments,  to  be  con- 
tinued or  modified  as  the  result  of  experience  may  dictate.  The 
friends  of  these  measures  are  confident  that  they  will  be  of  great 
practical  benefit ;  others  doubt  it.     Since  they  have  been  put  in 


GOVERNOE  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  *l 

practice,  it  is  best  to  allow  the  question  of  their  utility  to  be  set- 
tled by  actual  demonstration.  No  very  serious  consequences  can 
result  from  giving  them  a  fair  trial.  If,  after  such  trial,  they  are 
not  satisfactory,  they  will,  of  course,  be  repealed. 

I  commend  this  important  interest  with  the  report  of  the  State 
Superintendent  to  your  careful  consideration. 

AGRICULTUKAL   COLLEGE. 

The  advantages  of  combining  intellectual  training  with  physical 
exercise  in  some  productive  industry  in  institutions  for  the  educa- 
tion of  young  men,  have  not,  in  my  estimation,  been  fully  appre- 
ciated. Such  institutions  are  especially  desirable  for  the  large 
class  of  young  men  who  propose  to  engage  in  industrial  pursuits, 
and  who  cannot  aiford  the  time  and  expense  necessary  to  complete 
a  course  of  study  beyond  what  is  required  to  prepare  them  for  the 
intelligent  performance  of  the  practical  business  and  duties  of  life. 
They  need  a  knowledge  and  practice  of  what  pertains  to  the  living 
activities  of  the  present,  rather  than  the*  dead  languages  of  the 
past. 

The  tuition  being  free,  and  the  opportunity  to  pay  part  of  the 
expense  of  board,  are,  to  many  of  our  most  promising  young  men, 
important  advantages.  To  meet  this  general  want,  the  national 
legislature  made  the  appropriation  which  enabled  each  State  in  the 
Union  to  establish  »  "College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts." 
Maine  has,  I  believe,  done  wisely  in  accepting  the  grant,  and 
pledging  herself  to  conform  to  the  terms  prescribed. 

In  this  institution  the  students  are  expected  to  apply  in  practice, 
to  some  extent  at  least,  the  principles  taught  in  the  books.  The 
combination  of  actual  practice  with  theoretical  instruction,  secures 
a  more  valuable  knowledge  of  any  science  than  the  mere  study  of 
theories,  however  thorough  it  may  be. 

Many  young  men,  after  devoting  their  time  and  means  for  several 
years  to  preparation  for  some  chosen  profession,  prove,  on  actual 
trial,  utterly  unfit  for  such  profession,  and  without  business,  lacking 
physical  strength  as  well  as  disposition  necessary  for  success  in 
any  business  requiring  manual  labor,  they  become  thoroughly  dis- 
couraged, and  less  able  to  obtain  a  livelihood  by  their  own  exer- 
tions than  their  most  illiterate  neighbor,  who  has  learned  to  use 
his  hands  in  some  remunerative  employment.  Educate  such  young 
men  in  a  well  managed  industrial  college,  and  the  additional  phys- 


8  GOVERNOK  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

ical  force  and  mental  activity  acquired  would  greatly  improve  their 
chances  for  professional  success,  and,  failing  in  that,  they  have,  in 
their  ability  to  labor,  a  sure  means  of  support  and  usefulness. 

This  College  will,  I  trust,  perform  another  important  mission. 
The  disposition  to  shun  manual  labor  under  the  false  impression 
that  it  is  incompatible  with  respectability  and  good  social  position 
is  becoming  alarmingly  prevalent,  and  requires  correction.  That 
labor,  intelligently  directed,  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  highest 
intellectual  culture  and  the  most  honorable  attainments,  is  one  of 
the  most  important  facts  to  be  learned  by  young  persons  of  both 
sexes.  This  College,  if  properly  conducted,  will  do  much  towards 
the  creation  of  a  more  desirable  public  sentiment  on  this  subject. 
Young  men  educated  here,  and  becoming  familiar  with  agricultural 
and  mechanical  employments,  will  be  more  likely  to  engage  in  such 
pursuits.  This  is  a  result  greatly  to  be  desired,  when  we  remem- 
ber that  this  field  is  suffering  for  more  workers,  while  many  of  the 
professions  are  crowded  almost  to  starvation. 

In  these  suggestions,  I  would  detract  nothing  from  the  acknow- 
ledged merits  of  our  other  colleges,  or  their  invaluable  services  in 
the  great  educational  work  of  the  country.  They  will  continue  to 
receive,  as  they  deserve,  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the 
people. 

I  am  confident  that  the  establishment  of  the  College  of  Agricul- 
ture and  the  Mechanic  Arts  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  Cer- 
tainly, as  the  work  has  been  commenced  and  a  large  amount  of 
tnoney  invested  in  it,  and  as  the  condition  of  the  grant  made  by 
the  General  Government  was  the  promise  on  our  part  to  carry  for- 
ward the  work  in  good  faith,  it  is  our  duty  to  give  the  institution 
our  fostering  care.  The  report  of  the  Trustees  will  show  the  pres- 
ent condition  and  needs  of  the  College. 

orphans'  home. 
About  forty  orphans  of  deceased  soldiers  and  seamen  are  being 
cared  for  in  the  Home  for  Soldiers'  Orphans  in  the  city  of  Bath. 
Judging  from  what  I  saw  in  a  brief  visit  recently  made  to  this 
institution,  its  affairs  are  managed  economically  and  well.  The 
ladies  connected  with  the  Home  are  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of 
the  people  for  their  devotion  to  the  children  of  our  fallen  heroes. 
The  lives  of  those  on  whom  these  unfortunate  children  depended 
for  support  were  given  for  us.  The  most  we  can  do  for  them  is 
but  little  compared  with  the  debt  we  owe  them. 


GOVERNOK  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  9 

TEMPERANCE    AND    PROHIBITION. 

The  evils  resulting  from  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  are  so 
destructive  to  all  the  highest  interests  of  the  State,  and  so  promo- 
tive of  all  that  we  most  deplore,  that  neither  the  philanthropist 
nor  the  statesman  can  ignore  the  demand  for  their  suppression.  To 
grapple  effectively  with  an  evil  so  interwoven  with  the  love  of 
gain,  the  appetite,  the  prejudices,  and  the  social  habits  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  to  which  so  many  in  high  social  standing  are  wedded,  is, 
in  some  respects,  an  unwelcome  duty,  and  requires  courage  and 
devotion  which  many  good  people  shrink  from  exercising. 

The  work  necessary  to  restrict  this  evil  to  the  smallest  possible 
limits,  belongs  primarily,  and  perhaps  chiefly,  to  the  domain  of 
what  is  termed  moral  effort.  Still  experience  shows,  and  all,  or 
nearly  all,  the  people  of  this  State  concede  that  in  this,  as  well 
as  in  our  efforts  against  all  other  vices  and  crimes,  the  aid  of 
legislative  enactments  is  indispensible.  The  only  question  is  as 
to  the  kind  of  legislation  best  calculated  to  produce  the  desired 
result. 

For  centuries  the  traffic  in  intoxicating  drinks  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  restrictive  legislation  in  every  Christian  nation — the  laws 
being  more  or  less  stringent  according  to  the  public  opinion  of  the 
times.  Sometimes  communities  and  governments  have  sought  to 
protect-  themselves  from  the  evils  of  the  traffic  by  licensing  only 
such  persons  as  possessed  moral  character,  which,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  authorities,  qualified  them  for  the  trade.  Sometimes  a 
large  sum  has  been  required  as  a  license  fee  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
ducing the  number  of  places  where  liquors  were  to  be  sold  ;  thus 
discouraging  their  use  by  higher  prices,  and  greater  inconvenience 
in  obtaining  them.  Sometimes  relief  and  protection  have  been 
sought  by  the  entire  prohibition  of  the  traffic,  except  for  certain 
specified  purposes.  For  more  than  forty  years  the  attention  of  the 
people  of  this  country  has  been  given  to  the  traffic  and  the  long 
train  of  evils  inseparably  connected  with  it. 

Many  laws  have  been  passed  by  all  the  States  upon  this  subject, 
all  intended  to  prevent  or  limit  the  sale.  In  many  of  these  States 
the  laws  are  very  stringent  against  it.  In  two  or  three,  a  clause 
in  their  constitution  forbids  the  licensing  of  the  trade  ;  and,  in  as 
many  more,  liquor  sellers  are  held  responsible  for  all  damages  to 
individuals  and  society  resulting  from  it. 

After  years  of  discussion,  Maine  adopted  the  policy  of  prohibi- 
2 


10  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

tion  in  1851,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  years,  it  has 
been  continued  with  remarkable  unanimity. 

This  legislation  is  not  intended  to  interfere  improperly  with  the 
personal  habits  of  individuals.  It  only  seeks  to  prohibit  a  public 
trade,  which  in  the  opinion  of  a  large  portion  of  our  people — per- 
haps all — is  a  public  mischief.  Nor  does  it  attempt  to  dictate  what 
we  shall  drink  more  than  "the  laws  against  the  sale  of  diseased, 
poisonous,  or  otherwise  unhealthy  articles  of  food,  dictate  what 
we  shall  eat.  In  both  cases  the  laws  are  against  the  sale,  not 
the  drinking  or  eating.  The  laws  of  prohibition  upon  gamb- 
ling houses,  impure  books  and  pictures,  houses  of  ill-fame  and 
tippling  shops,  all  rest  upon  the  same  principle,  viz :  that  these 
trades  are  inconsistent  with  the  public  welfare,  which  it  is  not  only 
the  right  but  the  duty  of  the  government  to  provide  against  in  all 
legitimate  ways.  There  is,  and  can  be,  no  difference  of  opinion 
among  intelligent  men  as  to  the  effect  of  the  liquor  traflBc  upon  the 
prosperity  of  the  State,  and  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  the  peo- 
ple. It  is  in  direct  hostility  to  all  the  interests  of  the  country. 
No  man  can  rightfully  claim  that  a  trade  so  injurious  in  its  effect 
should  be  permitted  to  exist  for  his  profit  or  accommodation. 
Every  man  is  bound  by  his  duty  to  society  and  the  State  to  sub- 
ordinate his  personal  preference  and  interests  for  the  general 
good. 

If  the  principles  I  have  thus  briefly  stated  are  correct,  it  follows 
that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  State  to  enact  and  enforce,  and  of  all 
good  citizens  to  obey  and  sustain,  such  laws  as  will  most  effec- 
tually prevent  the  traflSc.  It  is  not  necessary  to  argue  this  ques- 
tion further  before  a  body  of  intelligent,  thinking  men  like  this. 
If  any  have  doubts  on  thi^  subject,  they  would,  I  am  confident,  be 
removed  by  a  careful  comparison  of  the  localities  in  this  State 
where  the  law  is  enforced,  with  places  having  a  similar  population 
in  States  where  prohibitory  legislation  does  not  exist. 

The  present  law,  where  it  is  enforced,  is,  so  far  as  I  can  judge, 
as  effective  in  the  suppression  of  the  traffic  as  are  our  other  crimi- 
nal laws  against  the  crimes  they  are  intended  to  prevent.  In  a 
majority  of  counties  the  law  appears  to  be  well  executed  with 
very  favorable  results.  Whether  any  further  legislation  in  regard 
to  the  law  or  its  execution  is  necessary  or  expedient,  is  for  the 
Legislature  to  determine.  I  commend  the  whole  subject  to  your 
careful  consideration  ;  reminding  you  and  the  people  of  the  State 
that  while  recognizing  the  law  as  a  necessary  auxiliary  in  our 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  11 

efforts  against  intemperance,  we  shonld  not  neglect  to  use  all  the 
moral  influence  within  our  reach  to  create  and  maintain  a  correct 
public  sentiment  on  this  subject ;  for  on  this  the  existence  and  en- 
forcement of  the  laws  and  the  good  we  hope  to  see  accomplished 
through  these  efforts  depend. 

POPULATION    AND    EMIGRATION. 

The  census  just  taken  discloses  some  unwelcome  facts  which 
demand  your  serious  consideration.  The  increase  of  our  popula- 
tion during  the  last  decade  was  very  small,  and  compares  unfavor- 
ably with  that  of  preceding  decades.  This  may  be  accounted  for 
in  part,  by  our  losses  in  the  war,  and  the  decrease  in  the  average 
number  of  children  in  each  family ;  but  chiefly  by  the  large  emi- 
gration to  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  has  been  estimated — 
with  how  much  accuracy  I  do  not  know — that  five  thousand  young 
men,  and  an  equal  number  of  young  women,  leave  Maine  annually 
to  seek  in  other  States  more  satisfactory  fields  of  effort  than  they 
can  find  at  home.  These  are  generally  the  most  energetic  portion 
of  our  population,  and  their  emigration  constitutes  a  drain  upon 
the  productive  capacity  of  the  State  we  can  ill  afford.  While  the 
distinction  to  which  many  of  the  sons  of  Maine  have  attained  in 
other  States  is  exceedingly  complimentary  to  "The  men  we  raise," 
it  shows  what  we  should  gain  by  a  policy  that  would  give  ample 
opportunity  for  the  development  and  exercise  of  such  talent  at 
home.  Have  we  the  resources  ?  and  can  we  open  avenues  of  suffi- 
cient business  to  retain  this  portion  of  our  population  in  the  State  ? 
are  questions  which  deeply  concern  us.  And  on  their  successful 
solution  our  future  largely  depends.  We  certainly  have  resources, 
the  development  of  which  would  require  large  increase  of  popula- 
tion. Whether  this  development  is  to  be  made,  depends  largely 
on  the  policy  the  State  shall  adopt.  The  extension  of  our  rail- 
roads, the  cultivation  of  our  unoccupied  farming  lands,  and  the 
occupation  and  utilization  of  our  water-power,  will  do  very  much 
in  the  right  direction. 

NATUBAL    ADVANTAGES, 

In  a  climate  favorable  to  health  and  the  development  and  exer- 
cise of  the  greatest  physical  and  mental  powers — in  our  soil,  favor- 
able to  agricultural  pursuits,  some  of  it  equal  to  any  in  the  country 
— in  our  forests  of  wood  and  timber — in  our  extensive  sea  coast, 
and  safe  and  capacious  harbors,  furnishing  unlimited  capacity  for 


12  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

ship-building  and  commercial  pursuits-^in  our  ability  to  make  the 
very  rigor  of  our  climate  and  the  sterility  of  our  coast  contribute 
to  our  wealth  by  furnishing  unlimited  supplies  of  ice  and  granite, 
unsurpassed  in  quality  by  any  in  the  country ;  and  in  our  water 
power,  unrivalled  in  extent  and  adaptation  to  manufacturing  oper- 
ations, we  have  resources  which,  if  properly  developed,  will  furnish 
profitable  employment  for  all  the  increase  of  our  own  population 
and  large  immigration  for  centuries  to  come.  That  the  labor  and 
capital  necessary  for  such  development  would  be  advantageously 
employed  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

AGRICULTURE. 

The  idea  entertained  by  some  that  farming  is  not  a  paying  busi- 
ness, and  that  farmers  are  obliged  to  work  harder  and  for  less 
compensation  than  persons  engaged  in  other  pursuits,  is  incorrect. 
It  is  true  that  fortunes  are  sometimes  made  more  rapidly  in  other 
kinds  of  business.  It  is  also  true  that  they  are  oftener  lost.  There 
is  no  business  among  us  that  is  so  sure  to  furnish  an  abundance  of 
all  that  is  necessary  to  ensure  real  independence  and  happiness  as 
farming.  Nor  is  it  necessary  for  farmers  to  go  out  of  the  State  to 
find  desirable  localities  for  this  business.  Some  western  farmers 
do  better  than  ours;  others  not  so  well.  On  the  whole,  it  is  prob- 
able that  our  Maine  farmers  make  nearly,  and  perhaps  quite  as 
much  money  according  to  the  amount  invested,  as  they  would  in 
the  west,  and  enjoy  very  much  more  of  all  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences of  life. 

Between  three  and  four  hundred  townships,  equal  to  seven  or 
eight  millions  of  acres,  comprising  some  of  the  best  soil  in  the 
State,  are  still  untouched  by  the  hand  of  cultivation.  "Increased 
facilities  for  communication  and  transportation  will  soon  make 
portions  at  least  of  these  lands  especially  desirable  for  farming 
purposes,  while  the  increase  of  manufactures  and  commerce  will 
secure  a  ready  home  market  for  all  farm  products  at  fair  prices. 
We  are  furnishing  some  good  horses  and  other  stock  for  the  mar- 
ket. These  sell  at  prices  indicating  that,  with  greater  care  and 
attention,  this  branch  of  business  may  be  pursued  with  advantage, 
and  become  a  source  of  large  income.  There  is  no  reason  why 
the  agricultural  operations  of  this  State  may  not  be  very  largely 
and  profitably  increased. 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  13 

'  WATER-POWER   AND    MAKUFACTURES. 

One  of  our  greatest  sources  of  prosperity  lies  in  our  immense 
water-power,  a  large  amount  of  which  is  still  unoccupied.  The 
development  of  this  waiting  agency  through  the  establishment  of 
manufactures,  will  add  largely  to  the  success  of  all  other  branches 
of  business.  The  facts  recently  laid  before  the  people  through  the 
Hydrographic  Survey,  cannot  fail  to  attract  attention  to  our  won- 
derful capacity  for  manufacturing  pursuits.  In  this  respect,  Nature 
has  dealt  liberally  with  us,  and  given  us  advantages  unrivalled  by 
any  State  in  the  Union.  Much  of  this  unoccupied  power  is  already 
accessible  by  water  and  rail,  and  the  extension  of  our  railroad 
system  will  reach  the  balance  as  rapidly  as  it  can  be  occupied. 

We  cannot  afford  to  ignore  the  conditions  of  success.  The 
achievement  of  our  grand  possibilities  will  not  come  unbidden.  If 
we  would  win  the  crown  we  must  run  the  race.  The  State  that 
adopts  a  stand-still  policy  in  this  day  of  great  enterprises,  and 
rapid  development,  will,  as  she  deserves,  be  outstripped  by  her 
more  enterprising  neighbors. 

It  is  a  reason  for  congratulation,  that  these  advantages  are  be- 
ginning to  be  appreciated  by  business  men  and  capitalists,  and 
that,  encouraged  by  the  liberality  of  our  laws,  a  large  amount  of 
capital  and  labor  has,  within  the  last  few  years,  been  attracted  to 
us,  which  has  found  profitable  employment  in  a  variety  of  manu- 
facturing pursuits.  Be  it  ours,  by  wise  legislation  and  judicious 
use  of  the  advantages  at  hand,  to  foster  and  encourage  this  im- 
portant interest. 

It  is  believed  that  the  law  authorizing  towns  to  exempt,  for  a 
limited  number  of  years,  manufacturing  property  from  taxation, 
and  the  special  acts  authorizing  them  to  aid  such  enterprises  by 
gift  of  money  or  loan  of  credit,  have  contributed  to  the  benefit  of 
the  towns  exercising  such  authority,  and  the  State.  I  suggest  that 
it  would  be  well  to  authorize  towns  by  general  law,  to  encourage 
the  establishment  of  manufactures  by  subscription  or  loan  of  credit. 
Under  certain  limitations,  I  see  no  reason  why  this  authority  may 
not  safely  be  given.  Any  intelligent  community  may  safely  be 
trusted  with  what  relates  to  its  own  interests.  Instances  often 
occur  in  which  the  aid  of  a  few  thousand  dollars  will  secure  the 
investment  of  capital,  and  the  establishment  of  business  that  would 
attract  population  and  capital,  and  increase  the  taxable  property  of 
the  place  so  as  to  re-imburse,  in  a  few  years,  many  times  over  the 
amount  originally  given. 


14  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

PBOTECTION    TO    INDUSTRY. 

In  this  connection  I  deem  it  not  inappropriate  to  advert  to  the 
subject  of  protection  to  our  industrial  pursuits.  I  do  not  advocate 
what  is  termed  a  high  tariff.  The  present  tariff,  except  as  it  has 
been  recently  modified,  was  made  to  correspond  with  heavy  inter- 
nal taxation,  and  should  now,  as  it  undoubtedly  will  be,  materially 
reduced. 

"  Eevenue  reform,"  in  its  practical  sense,  cannot  be  too  strongly 
urged  upon  those  who  make  and  administer  the  laws.  But  the 
term,  when  used  to  express  the  views  of  some  of  its  most  demon- 
strative advocates,  is  somewhat  vague  and  indefinite.  It  is  made 
the  watchword  of  men  who  entertain  all  shades  of  opinions  on 
revenue  questions,  and  especially  of  those  who  advocate  absolute 
free  trade.  A  revenue  reform  securing  the  strictest  economy  in  all 
our  expenditures,  and  providing  for  the  removal  of  National  taxa- 
tion from  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  productive  industry  of  the 
country,  the  reduction  or  entire  removal  of  duties  on  such  needful 
imported  articles  as  do  not  come  iato  injurious  competition  with 
our  own  productions,  should  receive  our  earnest  support.  It  is 
delusive  to  suppose  that  the  necessary  expenses  of  the  Government 
and  the  interest  on  the  public  debt  can  be  paid,  and  a  moderate 
reduction  of  the  debt  provided  for  without  heavy  taxation  of  some 
kind.  A  policy  that  will  bring  the  products  of  European  labor 
that  may  be  had  for  fifteen  to  fifty  cents  per  day  into  competition 
in  our  markets  on  equal  terms  with  our  own  labor,  should  and  will 
be  repudiated  by  the  American  people.  What  we  need  is  a  policy 
that  will  secure,  not  less,  but  more  pay  to  our  own  laborers. 

The  laboring  man  in  this  country  occupies  a  position  in  society 
entirely  different  from  the  working  men  of  Europe.  They  are  the 
equals  of  their  countrymen  who  are  engaged  in  other  pursuits. 
We  cannot  afford  to  allow  their  degradation  through  the  influence 
of  half  paid  labor. 

We  now  consume  too  much  of  the  pi'oducts  of  foreign  labor  and 
too  little  of  our  own,  A  nation's  wealth  is  in  its  laboring  men  and 
women,  and  labor  enriches  the  nation  and  the  individual  in  pro- 
portion to  its  productive  value. 

The  country  is  the  most  prosperous  financially  that  approximates 
the  nearest  to  supplying  its  demands  for  home  consumption,  and 
exports  the  most  of  the  products  of  its  indrustries. 

While,  therefore,  I  would  cooperate  in  every  measure  tending  to 
reduce  the  expense  of  living  and  lighten  the  burdens  of  taxation, 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  15 

I  earnestly  hope  no  policy  will  be  adopted  that  will  degrade  Amer- 
ican labor  or  lessen  its  rewards. 

EAILROADS. 

The  enterprise  manifested  by  our  people  in  the  construction  of 
railroads  evinces  a  disposition  to  appropriate  the  advantages 
which  nature  has  placed  within  our  reach,  and  inspires  lively  hope 
for  the  future  of  the  State. 

From  the  Railroad  Commissioners'  report  it  appears  that  694| 
miles  of  railroad  are  now  in  operation  in  the  State,  of  which  T8 
have  been  built  the  past  year,  and  that  there  are  186  miles  under 
construction.  The  Commissioners  recommend  more  stringent  en- 
actment for  the  prevention  of  accidents.  It  is  gratifying  to  learn 
from  the  report  of  the  Commissioners  that  the  railroad  companies 
in  the  State  are  generally  raising  the  character  of  their  respective 
roads  to  a  higher  level  of  durability  and  safety. 

The  claim  of  this  State  and  Massachusetts  against  the  General 
Government,  which  had  been  assigned  for  the  benefit  of  the  Euro- 
pean and  North  American  Railway,  has  been  allowed,  and  secures 
the  early  completion  of  that  road.  This  will  open  direct  railroad 
communication  with  St.  John,  and  by  a  road  already  built,  with 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  at  an  early  day  by  a  line  rapidly 
approaching  completion,  with  Halifax.  We  shall  then  have  a  con- 
tinuous line  of  railway  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  continent 
and  connecting  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans.  The  great  thor- 
oughfare between  Europe  and  the  most  of  the  American  continent 
and  the  Pacific  coast  will  then  be  through  this  State. 

While  this  work  has  been  going  on  in  the  East,  an  enterprise 
which  originated  in  Portland  has  been  rapidly  pushing  its  way 
westward,  and  will  soon  secure  more  direct  communication  be- 
tween that  enterprising  city  and  the  great  grain  growing  State  of 
the  West ;  and  at  no  distant  day  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
to  the  Pacific  ocean  on  the  coast  of  Oregon.  These  grand  enter- 
prises, and  several  other  roads  of  much  local  importance  that  are 
being  built,  with  the  projection  of  others  that  are  sure  to  be  com- 
pleted at  an  early  day,  are  the  best  evidences  of  a  determination 
to  make  our  railroad  system  equal  to  the  demand  of  the  growing 
interest  of  the  State.  Let  this  spirit  be  encouraged  and  it  will 
develop  resources  which  would  otherwise  remain  useless.  The 
unoccupied  farming  lands  in  Aroostook  county,  with  a  soil  equal 
if  not  superior  to  that  of  any  other  section  of  New  England,  are 


16      \  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

being  settled  very  slowly.  This  is  because  immigration  keeps  pace 
with  the  iron  rail,  and  will  not  in  any  considerable  numbers  settle 
far  beyond.  Build  a  railroad  to  this  fertile  region,  and  lands  which 
cannot  now  be  given  away  to  settlers  will  be  eagerly  sought  after 
at  fair  prices.  And  in  a  few  years  that  country  would  contain  a 
population  and  a  tax-paying  capacity  that,  with  the  increased  value 
of  the  products  of  the  soil  and  forests  would  soon  pay  the  cost  of 
the  road  and  become  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  State.  The  impor- 
tance of  a  system  of  railway  communication  that  will  make  acces- 
sible the  timber  and  farming  lands  and  develop  the  other  resources 
of  this  section  of  the  State  has  long  been  felt  by  our  wisest  men, 
and  frequently  and  forcibly  discussed  by  my  predecessors.  The 
European  and  North  American  Railway  so  shortens  the  length  of 
new  road  necessary  to  make  the  immense  resources  of  this  part  of 
the  State  accessible,  that  we  may  well  inquire  whether  some  prac- 
tical means  may  not  be  devised  to  accomplish  a  work  so  desirable. 
I  am  convinced  that  the  best  way  to  reduce  the  burden  of  the  debt 
is  to  develop  our  resources,  give  the  people  better  facilities  to  make 
money  and  increase  the  taxable  property  of  the  State. 

I  have  deemed  it  my  duty  to  call  attention  to  this  subject,  and 
invoke  the  wisdom  of  the  Legislature  upon  its  consideration. 

The  men  who  have  furnished  the  means  to  build  railroads  in 
Maine  have  relied  upon  the  indirect  advantages  they  in  common 
with  others  would  receive  rather  than  any  direct  income  from  the 
investment.  The  interests  of  the  masses  of  the  people  and  the 
stockholders  and  managers  of  railroads  are  not  necessarily  antago- 
nistic, and  it  would  be  a  great  misfortune  to  the  State  if  a  spirit 
of  antagonism  should  spring  up  between  them.  We  should  avoid 
a  railroad  war  in  Maine  if  possible. 

Railroads  are  essential  promoters  of  individual  prosperity  and 
national  progress  ;  and  are  entitled  to  every  facility  not  inconsis- 
tent with  the  public  good.  It  would  not  be  wise  for  the  State  to 
grant  unlimited  powers,  or  permit  the  consolidation  of  railroads  or 
any  other  corporations  to  an  extent  that  would,  in  any  event,  allow 
such  consolidated  interests  to  control  the  legislation  of  the  State. 
For  in  such  event,  every  other  interest  might  be  rendered  subser- 
vient, and  all  guarantees  useless. 

A  proper  appreciation  of,  and  a  just  regard  for  the  rights  of  each 
and  the  interests  of  all,  will,  I  trust,  prevent  any  serious  trouble 
in  this  regard. 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  17 

IMMIGRATION. 

The  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Immigration  presents  an  in- 
teresting account  of  the  work  accomplished  through  his  agency. 
A  colony  of  one  hundred  and  two  Swedish  immigrants  has  been 
established  on  a  township  in  Aroostook  County,  known  as  New 
Sweden.  The  Commissioner  is  confident  that  this  has  opened  the 
way  for  a  large  immigration  of  this  hardy  and  industrious  race. 
These  people  evidently  possess  the  characteristics  necessary  for 
pioneer  work  in  this  State,  and  they  will  be  a  valuable  acquisition 
in  the  settlement  of  our  unoccupied  lands.  Such  of  these  immi- 
grants as  would  prefer  other  pursuits,  would  find,  in  other  parts 
of  the  State  desirable  employment  and  good  compensation.  Such 
laborers,  male  and  female,  are  greatly  needed,  especially  as  house- 
hold servants,  for  whom  there  is  great  demand. 

Many  of  these  people  are  excellent  mechanics,  others  excel  as 
family  servants.  Their  religion,  education,  general  intelligence, 
and  industrious  habits,  with  our  need  of  their  services,  will  create 
,  a  mutual  friendship  and  sympathy  between  them  and  our  people 
wherever  in  the  State  they  may  go.  I  therefore  suggest  that  what- 
ever plan  you  adopt  to  aid  immigration  in  the  future  it  be  not  con- 
fined to  immigrants  who  prefer  agricultural  pursuits,  but,  that  it 
include  those  who  desire  to  engage  in  other  employments  in  any 
part  of  the  State.  Other  States  are  adding  largely  to  their  popu- 
lation and  wealth  by  their  immigration  efibrts.  I  see  no  reason 
why  we  may  not  do  the  same. 

Trusting  that  you  will  deem  it  wise  to  continue  this  work  in 
some  economical  way,  I  commend  the  recommendations  of  the 
Commissioner  with  these  brief  suggestions  to  your  early  consid- 
eration. 

OUR    SHIPPING    INTERESTS. 

I  regret  to  say  that  the  burdens  which  the  war  and  the  legisla- 
tion incident  thereto  placed  upon  our  shipping  interests,'  have  not 
been  removed.  It  is  extremely  humiliating  to  see  the  business 
formerly  carried  on  under  our  flag,  monopolized  by,  and  bearing 
the  flag  of  the  nation  that  contributed  the  most,  in  our  time  of 
trouble,  to  sweep  our  commerce  from  the  ocean.  Maine  may  be 
expected  to  feel  somewhat  intensely,  and  allowed  to  speak  with 
some  earnestness  on  this  subject,  because  she  has  very  much  at 
stake.  She  has  in  some  years  of  the  past  furnished  fifty  per  cent. 
3 


18  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

of  all  the  sea-going  vessels  of  the  country.  In  the  building  and 
sailing  of  vessels,  employment  has  been  given  to  twenty  thousand 
and  support  to  one  hundred  thousand  of  her  citizens. 

If  this  was  a  subject  in  which  any  portion  of  the  country  or  the 
Government  has  adverse  interests,  the  opposition  it  receives  might 
reasonably  be  expected.  But  the  relief  we  ask,  while  it  would 
help  us  and  others  immediately  interested,  would  through  increase 
of  business,  contribute  to  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  country,  and 
add  to  the  revenue  of  the  Government  immeasurably  more  than 
would  be  lost,  by  unfettering  these  interests,  and  allowing  them 
to  fulfil  their  important  mission. 

No  man  who  remembers  the  efficient  aid  received  from  our  ship- 
yards and  merchant  marine  in  furnishing  vessels  and  experienced 
seamen  for  the  creation  of  a  navy  in  the  beginning  of  the  war,  can 
fail  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  this  subject  to  the  national 
defence.  It  is  vastly  cheaper  and  better  every  way  to  encourage 
and  sustain  interests,  which,  in  addition  to  their  means  of  pros- 
perity in  time  of  peace,  will  furnish  a  navy  in  time  of  war,  than  to 
maintain  permanently  such  a  naval  force  as  would  otherwise  be 
required.  There  is  no  adequate  reason  for  continuing  this  un- 
friendly legislation,  which  is  paralyzing  business  of  such  impor- 
tance. 

I  earnestly  hope  Congress  will  at  an  early  day  remove  the  bur- 
dens of -which  we  complain.  This  would  allow  our  ships  and  oiir 
commerce  to  compete  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  with 
those  of  other  nations  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  Let  this  be 
done,  and  we  may  reasonably  hope  that  the  sounds  of  busy  in- 
dustry will  soon  be  heard  in  our  ship  yards  ;  that  the  sails  of  our 
commerce  will  again  be  allowed  to  whiten  every  sea,  and  that  the 
sight  of  our  flag  will  gladden  the  hearts  of  our  countrymen  in  all 
lands. 

BIENNIAL    ELECTIONS    AND    SESSIONS    OF   THE    LEGISLATURE. 

My  pi'edecessor,  in  one  of  his  addresses  to  the  Ligislature,  called 
attention  to  the  subject  of  biennial  elections  of  State  officers  and 
sessions  of  the  Legislature.  The  suggestion  appeared  to  me  timely, 
and  worthy  of  careful  consideration.  If  a  saving  of  forty  or  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  which  is  about  the  cost  of  a  session  of  the  Leg- 
islature, can  be  made  to  the  tax-payers  of  the  State  every  two 
years,  besides  an  important  reduction  in  time  and  expenses  inci- 
dent to  the  elections,  without  serious  detriment  to  other  interests, 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  19 

it  should  be  done.  A  revision  of  the  statutes  has  just  been  made. 
They  should  undergo  no  useless  changes.  The  history  of  the  State 
and  country  show  that  the  tendency  is  to  too  much  legislation.  I 
am  of  the  opinion  that  biennial  sessions  would  furnish  ample  op- 
portunity for  all  the  legislation  the  interests  of  the  people  and  the 
State  would  require, 

CHANGE    OP    THE    DAY    FOR   THE    ANNUAL    ELECTION. 

If  you  should  deem  the  subject  just  referred  to  of  suflScient  im- 
portance to  submit  to  the  people  the  question  of  such  amendment 
to  the  constitution  as  the  change  would  require,  I  suggest  that 
with  it  you  submit  the  question  of  changing  the  day  of  our  annual 
election  to  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November, 
being  the  day  fixed  by  law  for  the  Presidential  Election.  There 
are  some  important  advantages  to  be  gained  by  this  change.  Every 
four  years  it  would  save  the  time  and  expense  of  one  election,  as 
the  Presidential  and  State  elections  would  occur  on  the  same  day. 
It  would  be  more  favorable  to  a  fair  and  full  expression  of  the 
wishes  of  the  people.  The  present  time  of  election  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  hold  the  preliminary  caucuses  and  conventions  at  a  time 
when  in  a  large  part  of  the  State,  the  people  employed  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  are  more  busily  engaged  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  year.  As  parties  are  now  organized,  the  character  of  our  pub- 
lic servants  is  generally  determined  at  these  primary  meetings. 
Unless  there  is  unusual  interest  in  the  nominations  many  of  the 
most  intelligent  voters  who  are  busily  engaged,  stay  at  home. 
This  makas  it  easy  for  a  few  men,  who  may  have  private  or  other 
interests  adverse  to  the  public  good,  to  control  the  nominations, 
and  if  in  the  majority  party,  the  elections.  I  submit  whether  the 
interests  of  the  State  will  not  be  better  subserved  by  holding  the 
preliminary  meetings  and  the  elections  at  a  time  when  the  largest 
number  of  the  people  can  attend  with  the  least  sacrifice.  It  is 
generally  believed  that  a  better  understanding  of  our  duties  as 
voters  may  be  obtained  by  intelligent  and  thorough  public  discus- 
sion of  the  questions  at  issue  and  the  merits  of  candidates.  Here 
we  find  again  in  the  busy  season  that  precedes  the  present  day  of 
election,  the  same  diflSculty.  Many  of  the  working  people  cannot 
leave  their  business  to  attend  such  discussions.  Two  months  later 
the  longer  evenings  would  be  more  favorable  to  reading  and  pub- 
lic meetings,  and  laboring  men  could  better  attend  to  both:     All 


20  GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS. 

would  be  as  well  accommodated,  and  many  whose  honest  votes 
are  greatly  needed  much  better. 

OUR  JAIL  SYSTEM. 

In  our  treatment  of  criminals,  the  chief  object  should  be  the 
reformation  of  the  criminal,  and  the  diminution  of  crime.  Neither 
01  these  can  be  expected  as  the  result  of  crowding  together  in 
■inconvenient,  unhealthy  jails,  like  many  in  this  State,  without  em- 
ployment, persons  who  have  only  taken  their  first  step  in  crime, 
with  hardened  criminals  of  both  sexes.  The  opposite  result  is  sure 
to  follow.  The  person  accused  of,  or  under  sentence  for  his  first 
offence  against  the  law  should  not  be  confined  with,  or  placed  under 
the  tuition  of  professional  offenders  hardened  by  a  life  of  crime. 
We  cannot  afford  to  ignore  the  laws  of  common  propriety  and 
decency  in  our  treatment  of  criminals  and  those  accused  of  crime. 
They  should  be  supplied  with  suitable  reading  matter,  moral  and 
religious  instruction,  and  constant  employment. 

The  report  of  the  Commissioners  recently  appointed  to  consider 
this  subject,  may  be  expected  at  an  early  day,  and  will,  I  trust, 
suggest  some  practical  plan  of  reform. 

FISHERIES. 

The  course  pursued  by  our  neighbors  of  the  Dominion  in  regard 
to  the  rights  of  our  fishermen,  is  exceedingly  damaging  to  a  busi- 
ness in  which  many  citizens  of  this  State  are  engaged,  and  calls 
for  immediate  action  by  the  proper  authorities.  It  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  not  unmindful  of 
our  interests  in  this  regard.  Whatever  aid  we  can  give  him  in  de- 
termining at  an  early  day  the  rights  of  American  citizens  on  the 
waters  where  they  have  so  long  pursued  this  business,  should  not 
be  withheld.  We  earnestly  desire  to  continue  friendly  relations 
with  our  neighbors.  If,  however,  the  indignities  that  have  been 
offered  should  be  repeated,  it  will  become  the  duty  of  the  govern- 
ment to  adopt  such  measures  as  may  be  necessary  to  enforce  our 
rights. 

INDUSTRIAL    SCHOOL    FOR    GIRLS. 

The  idea  of  an  Industrial  School  for  Girls  should  not  be  aban- 
doned. All  the  arguments  in  favor  of  reformatory  institutions  for 
boys  apply  with  equal,  and  in  some  respects,  greater  force  to  the 
establishment  of  similar  institutions  for  girls. 


GOVERNOR  PERHAM'S  ADDRESS.  21 

I  earnestly  hope  the  finances  of  the  State,  or  the  munificence  of 
men  of  means,  who  desire  to  aid  such  an  enterprise,  or  both  com- 
bined, will,  at  an  early  day,  allow  the  establishment  of  an  institu- 
tion so  essential  to  the  moral  well  being  of  the  State. 

CONCLUSION. 

If!  conclusion,  1  pledge  you  my  earnest  cooperation  in  all  meas- 
ures calculated  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  State  and  the 
happiness  of  the  people,  and  express  the  hope  that  your  councils 
will  be  harmonious,  and  result  in  lasting  benefits  and  blessings  to 
your  constituents. 

SIDNEY  PERHAM. 


STATE     OF    MAINE. 


In  Senate,  January  28,  18Y1. 
Ordered,  That  one  thousand  copies  of  the  Governor's  Message 
be  printed  in  addition  to  the  number  heretofore  ordered,  for  the 
use  of  the  Senate. 
Read  and  passed. 

SAMUEL  W.  LANE,  Secretary. 

A  true  copy — Attest : 

SAMUEL  W.  LANE,  Secretary. 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


^    ^    .  .Mil  IIRRABY  FACILITY 


_,,„„„,„iiilllillllllllllpliliilinlli^^ 

A     000  6^^  279     1 


M 


